Super (Bowl) changes to the Meadowlands and MetLife Stadium

Here are five ways the Meadowlands Sports Complex will be different for the Super Bowl.

Security: The security perimeter around MetLife Stadium, normally 100 feet for football games, will be extended to 300 feet. That means starting in early January, crews will begin to install seven "welcome pavilions" and temporary barricades around the facility. Organizers will begin to lock down the sports complex the Monday of Super Bowl week. And by game day, personnel entering the complex will need three levels of credentials

Parking: Capacity around the stadium will be reduced by about 60 percent, from 26,500 on regular game days to 11,000 to 12,000 for the Super Bowl. People who drive themselves to the game will be directed to their spaces, rather than having reserved parking as they normally do.

Tailgating and transportation: With parking so limited, tailgating will not be allowed on game day. Buses, limousines and other vehicles carrying attendees will have to be permitted in advance and won't be able to leave after dropping off their passengers.

Media crush: The NFL will install temporary space for the thousands of credentialed media members that will be at the game (an estimated 3,500 to 5,000). MetLife Stadium's regular press box normally holds a few hundred people.

Events: The Meadowlands Racetrack recently opened its new $88 million grandstand, but the old facility will go out in style as it hosts both the NFL Tailgate Party and a pre-game party for Fox Sports, which is broadcasting the game on television. Meantime, the Izod Center will host NFL On Location, a private, hospitality-oriented event hosted by the NFL before and after the game.

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Joshua Burd

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Josh Burd covers real estate, economic development and sports and entertainment. Before joining NJBIZ in 2011, he spent four years as a metro reporter in Central Jersey. Email him at joshb@njbiz.com.